When looking for bouldering locations that offer awesome climbing, are easily accessible and fun to go to, Portland should be high on your list.

With great climbing in a great location, Portland is one of our favourite places to go bouldering (especially in the summertime). It is actually an island connected by a small isthmus - and the whole shore is dotted with climbing spots that offer a huge selection of problems in varied settings.

The rock is limestone (try not to judge just yet!), which offers up a mix of smooth, bullet-proof boulders to rough and ready tidal boulders. There is a great mix of problems and something for everyone: from technical to powerful, high to lowball, slabs to roofs, and boulder fields to cliff-type boulder walls.

Since the area is popular as a tourist destination you won't have the remote escape of other destinations, but you will have all the amenities within easy reach. This makes it a wonderful place to have a vacation with your non-climbing friends and family, as there is lots for them to do while you climb. Head on over to Portland for a relaxing trip of beach, sea and bouldering.

Portland is also close to Lulworth and Swanage, which offer yet more problems to try out. Combined, they have over 1900 routes along the south coast sea.

Area Highlights

West Weares

This is on the north part of the island just after you cross over from the mainland. It is broken up into three areas with West Weares Beach, Hallelujah Bay, and the Green Hump. Perfect for a chilled summer evening, the problems are generally short but powerful.

There are routes from Font f3 to f7a with the highest density in the mid grades.

The approach is short but it is suggested to get to the car park early as you share it with trekkers, divers, and climbers. The Cove House Inn is passed on the way out for added incentive after a hard days climbing.

Blacknor Fort and Blacknor Beach

These two areas are close together just south of West Weares. Combined there are over 100 routes on offer so you can have many days of climbing.

Blacknor Fort is a quarried wall just below the actual fort. The problems are in the low to mid grades with easy access. Landings are flat, making it relatively safe for new climbers.

Blacknor Beach, on the other hand, is home to many hard test pieces. Despite being at beach-level, the problems are big and committing with poor landings. Bouldering pads, a good head and trustworthy spotters are a must.

Battleship Beach

Just to the south of Blacknor is Battleship Beach, which is a collection of boulders scattered on a rocky beach. The landings are relatively good, but a collection of pads will be appreciated. Check out Petit Peabody and Shipwreck Areas for the biggest collection of quality problems.

Some of the routes are in the tidal zone so timing your climbing with the tide will be paramount.

With over a hundred problems from f3 to f7b, there are problems for just about every climber.

Lighthouse Area

This is a collection of areas near the lighthouse around the south end of the island.

To date, there are 400 routes with options for more. In addition to the bouldering, there are also several deep-water solo routes for those who are brave enough to embrace the English Channel.

Back to the bouldering, there are problems ranging from f3 to f7b. There is something for every style with roof, slab, face and crack problems on offer.

Approaches are short but since there is so much climbing to be done, you will still hit your step count if you decide to explore the various areas.

Cheyne Weares Area

This stretch of the east coast hosts a number of spots including Neddyfields Bouldering Wall and Southwell Landslips. It has hundreds of routes with generally short approaches. The range of difficulty ranges from f3 to f7b so all but the strongest will have projects aplenty.

If technical and crimpy face climbing is what you are looking for, then Neddyfields will tick all the boxes. This area has many established test-pieces on unique rock, all in a beautiful setting overlooking the sea. On the wall you’ll find interesting lines because of the flowstone, which provides both unusual holds and unforgettable problems.

Although still amazing in the summer, if you are trying to push your grade you’ll be better treated by cooler conditions.

Make friends while you’re there so you can share pads and have some of the longer problems protected. The rock here can be sharp so bring tape if you think your fingers will struggle.

Southwell Landslips offer a long list of problems scattered along the path from Cheyne Weares car park.

The Cuttings

We've saved the biggest for last.

Located on the east coast of the island, The Cuttings includes the Cuttings Boulderfield, New Cuttings as well as a few other smaller crags totalling almost 600 problems.

New Cuttings is the traditional forcing ground with many hard test-pieces, but the area as a whole boasts short, sweet and powerful problems ranging from f3 to f7b.

While it is located in the coastal region, most routes are above the waterline and tides aren't an issue. Many of the problems are sheltered so it can be a good location whatever the weather, out of the sun or out of the wind.

The approaches are only few minutes and the landings are generally flat, making for a fun and simple day out.

Considerations when climbing in Portland

Some of the climbing is in tidal areas. Be sure to check tide times so you don't get cut off by the rising water. Current tide charts can be found in most of the tourist areas and online charts are available.

While there are many areas that have flat landings, bouldering pads are still a must for ankle safety (and preferably more than one if you can). Although many of the top problems can be found on the beaches, they are unfortunately not the sandy type and can be rocky. As always, a sit start mat, bath mat or towel can be useful to keep sand/dirt off your shoes.

The rock in the area is limestone so it generally dries quickly after it rains. But even the slightest moisture can make polished limestone as slippery as ice, so keep an eye on the weather and give it time to dry.

The texture of the rock varies from rough granite-like texture to stuff that’s a bit like marble so read up on specific areas and bring both soft and stiff shoes if you have them for the different styles of problems.

Logistics

When should I go?

Climbing is good year-round but summer can be hot in the sun. In the summer aim for late afternoon or early evening sessions to avoid the hottest times of the day. The west coast beaches tend to benefit from a cooling breeze and the sea for a quick dip.

If you are aiming to send hard problems then aim for the cooler times like spring, autumn and early winter before it gets too slippery or wet. That said, it is unlikely that a whole weekend is washed-out as Portland has some of the lowest rainfall in the UK.

Which guide should I buy?

We love Dorset Bouldering By Ben Stokes (2015): This guide is available in a printed guide book and on the Rockfax App. It contains maps, topos, descriptions, and photos of all the climbing areas. As well as the well-known areas of The Cuttings, Boulderfields and Neddyfields, the guide covers the West coast, more of the East coast and also includes Swanage and Lulworth. It has 1943 problems over 384 pages.

The guide and Ben in particular have done a great job in opening up Portland and turning it into a major UK bouldering area. The guide comes highly recommended for a trip down south.

Useful websites

UKClimbing: On UK Climbing you can search for the crags or routes using their logbook tab. You can track your climbs and see what the current conditions are before making a trip.

How do I get there?

In addition to driving, you can take the train or bus to be within walking distance of the crags. If you are heading to Portland then aim for the town of Weymouth. Since the area doesn't have big roads it's a good idea to head in early if you are travelling on the weekend or busy summer season.